Stringed musical instrument



B. 'SZYS'LAK. I STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I2, I92].

1,420,784, Patented June 27, 19.22.

affozncq UNlTEilli QFFEQE,

BLASI JS SZYSLAK, OF BRADDDGK, PENNSYLVANIA.

SI'RINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. I

Application filed August 12, 1921.

Tocll whom it may camera:

Be it known that T. BLASIUS SZYsLAn, a citizen of Poland, resi ring at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in stringed musical instruments and has particular reference to the violin group of instruments.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved means for sounding the strings of a musical instrument.

Other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, and the same consists of the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a musical instrument constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a side 'elevational view, partly broken away of the device shown in Fig. 1, and,

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken upon line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail to the several views, the invention relates to the improve ment of a stringed musical instrument having the usual hollow body with a back 6. front or belly 7, and a neck 8 formed with a peg box 9, strings 10 being attached to the pegs 11 of the peg box 9 and extending across a bridge 12 and having their other ends attached to the tail piece 13 which is provided with a ring 1 1 and a button 15. The parts thus far described are of general construction and for well known purposes in the art as are also the sound holes 16 provided in the front or belly 7.

The present invention consists in providing a longitudinal series of longitudinally slidable fret bars 17 for fretting the strings desired of the strings 10 beneath which said fret bars are 'slidably mounted for movement transversely of the neck 8 suitable means as springs 18 being provided to hold the fret bars 17 normally inoperative, The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June .27, Serial No. 491,795.

invention also embodies the provision of a rotary disk 19 preferably formed of fibre .r the like with a. smooth periphery contacting the strings 10 and disposed beneath the same and preferably fixed upon the inner end of a shaft 20 journaled in a bearing bracket 21 within the body 5 and in a further bearing 22 provided in the end of said body so that the major portion of the disk 19 is located within the body 5 and a portion of the same projects outwardly through a transverse elongated slot 23 in the belly 7.

The preferred construction consists in providing a relatively long hollow casing 2st on the upper surface of the neck 8 and belly 7 in which the fret bars 17 are slidably mounted, the outer end wall 25 of the casing 24-. being provided with a slot 26 through which the strings 10 extend to the pegs 11 and upon the lower wall of which said strings rest so that the usual function of the upper saddle of a violin is performed by the end wall 25 of the casing 2a. The fret bars 17 are preferably of square cross section within the casing 242, and a longitudinal strip 27 is preferably fixed to the bottom of the easing 24-. to form a rest for the inner ends of the fret bars 17 the outer ends of said fret bars being reduced and of cylindrical form as at 28, which cylindrical ends are snugly slidably disposed through apertures 28 in one of the side walls of the casing 2a and form finger pieces adapted to be pressed for actuating the fret bars 17. B thus reducing the outer ends of the fret bars 17, a shoulder is provided upon each of the same as at 29 adapted to engage the adjacent side wall of the casing 24 for limiting the out ward movement of said fret bars, and the springs 18 are preferably formed and ar-v ranged so as to hold the fret bars 17 in contact with the strip 27 as well as to urge the same toward the side wall of the casing 24 through which the fret bars project. The fret bars 17 are preferably provided with upstanding. pins 30 arranged at one side of each string to be fretted as well as normally spaced therefrom so that when the fret bars are pressed inwardly said pins will engage the adjacent strings simultaneously for producing the desired sound. The top 31 of the casing 2 1 is preferably removable for permitting access to the fret bars and other parts within the casing 241- for repairs or renewal and said top or cover is preferably held in place by means of turn buttons 32 associated with end slots provided in tl-e cover 31 The string sounding disk 19 is oreferably actuated by means of a hand crank 34 formed on the projecting outer end of the shaft 20 and by means of which said shaft. may be rocked or oontinuously rotated as found mostdesirable for the proper sounding of the strings.

The operation oi the instrument will be readily appreciated and understood by one skilled in the art acquainted with the proper fretting and string actuation or sounding, as the "fret bars are arranged in the same relation as the fingers are usually employed for fretting purposes and the use of the disk 19 is similar to the use of the bow except that rotary motion is imparted to the same by turning the crank shaft 20.

Minor changes may be made in the inven tion without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

lVhat is claimed as new is l. A stringed musical. instrument including a hollow body having a neck provided with tuning pegs, a tail piece strings conaser/s1 necting the tail piece and the pegs, said hollow body including a belly portion wlth a transverse slot, a disk disposed within the body transversely of the latter and projecting outwardly through said slot with its periphery engaging said strings, and means to move said. disk on an axis parallel to said strings.

2. A stringed musical instrument including a hollow body having a neck provided with tuning pegs, a tail piece, strings connecting the tail piece and the pegs, said hollow body including a belly portion with a transverse slot, a disk disposed within the body transversely of the latter and projecting outwardly through said slot with its periphery engaging said strings, and means to move said disk on an axis parallel to said strings, said last named means comprising a longitudinal crank shaft ournaled within the body with the disk fixed upon its inner end and with a hand crank formed upon its outer end exteriorly of the body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BLASIUS SZYSLAK. 

